Proposed Legislation on Military Use of Desert National Wildlife Refuge Shortchanges Wildlife Protection

Today Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced legislation that would renew military use of the Nevada Test and Training Range and expand Air Force control over Desert National Wildlife Refuge. While the bill improves tribal access to sacred sites on the refuge and aims to preserve conservation lands, it would also allow the military to further undermine refuge conservation mandates on these public lands; a move that threatens wildlife, habitat and the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Mark Salvo, Vice President of Landscape Conservation for Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement on the legislation:

“We appreciate Senator Cortez Masto’s willingness to lead on this issue, but this legislation would not resolve current management conflicts on the refuge and could exacerbate problems for wildlife. The National Wildlife Refuge System is our only network of federal lands dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and habitat. The further expansion of military use on public land specifically designated for wildlife sets a troubling precedent for the future of refuges nationwide. 

“We look forward to working with Senator Cortez Masto to strengthen the current legislation to more adequately protect desert bighorn sheep, Mojave desert tortoise and other treasured wildlife.”

Helen O’Shea, Director, Western Renewable Energy Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council, issued the follow statement on the legislation:

“Senator Cortez Masto is providing important leadership to protect public lands in Nevada, but this legislation requires added safeguards to ensure species in the largest national wildlife refuge in the Lower 48 are protected.

“With a little more work, this bill could signal the path forward in protecting the iconic desert landscapes and species in this important cornerstone of our national refuge system.”
 

Background:
•    Encompassing six mountain ranges and nearly 1.6 million acres, Desert National Wildlife Refuge conserves high quality, intact habitat for an astounding diversity of wildlife. President Franklin D. Roosevelt first established the refuge in 1936 to protect bighorn sheep, which were plummeting toward extinction early last century. With about 750 individuals today, bighorns remain vulnerable and sensitive to disturbance.
•    Hundreds of other species also depend on the refuge, including the threatened Mojave (Agassiz’s) desert tortoise, more than 320 migratory and resident bird species, and over 50 mammal and dozens of reptile species that find their ecological niche in habitats ranging from arid Mojave Desert and Great Basin ecosystems to snowcapped peaks topping 10,000 feet high.
•    The refuge also lies within the ancestral homeland of local Native American tribes and preserves irreplaceable cultural resources and tribal history. Approximately 1.4 million acres of Desert Refuge are proposed for designation as wilderness.
•    More than 800,000 acres of Desert Refuge are already included within the NTTR, and are jointly managed by the Air Force and the Fish and Wildlife Service with the goal of balancing military training needs with protection of the refuge’s wild resources on these public lands.